Melting down your copper pennies - total process and cost involved - Is it worth it? Let's find out! 

After watching this video & doing the math , I'm realizing that this really makes cents !! 🤣👍

Iv learned something today, don’t leave comments until viewing the entire video. Great video 👍

Hey there Mr Scott Man, If you simply drill a hole in a penny, it then becomes a "washer" :) A washer that size, costs 12 Cents. That is a Much better return on energy, and labor. I had a situation, whereby I sent a guy to get some lag screws. The guy forgot to get washers :/ The hardware store (remember them ;) was 2 hours (round trip) away :/ Fortunately, I had 20-30 quarters in my truck. There is a deck in Eldorado, NM that has quarters as washers. Yours truly, James MacGyver Gill

There's far more economical ways of smelting and even getting a better yield than what is represented here and copper has doubled in price since this video so I think it's a great idea to save all your pre 82 pennies. I have been saving them for years now.

I bought 110,000 pre-1977 memorials at an auction two years ago for 70% of face value. I still have 90,000 left after removing the occasional wheat and Indian head pennies and turning some into the bank and selling some for 3 cents each. What I sold for me about $800, leaving me with a $25 profit and still 90,000 pennies. What's left is now worth about $2,355 in copper based on the 16 lbs. per $25 ratio used in the video. Not bad for a $775 investment. I think I'll stick with pennies. Of course, that's over 600 lbs of pennies that I don't move that often... lol.

Costs = Materials, labor and overhead. Copper, gas, scrap, your time, depreciation of the smelter, clean up material, depreciation of the molds, electricity, and storage costs of the copper material.

It’s absolutely worth it as long as you also make a RU-vid video for “educational” purposes.

Thank you for the video and the sacrifices that it took to make it. It answered several of my questions and because of that, has earned my subscription & 👍. Thanks again

The value of copper seems more stable in the long term (to me) than the unstable stock market. Like Silver it’s bound to continue its increase in value over the yrs. Enjoyed the demonstration - Thanks for sharing it! 👍

Ok here's why melting coins is a bad idea. Coins in their original form are recognizable. You know what you're getting and what it's worth. When it's melted down like that, it's not easily exchangeable in a SHTF economy. For example, gold bars - some can make the weight come out right for the size by putting tungsten inside the bars. For your copper here someone else would want to x-ray or cut open your bar to make sure there's nothing hiding in there even if they weigh it' and thats a lot of work.

I just enjoy listening to the parrot in the background. I am a servant to my own parrot master.

However, gas and tank cost can be offset with elbow grease. Scrap wood, lumber, discarded pallets etc. Can be made into charcoal. A charcoal fired forge with bellows costs $0 🔨 🔥

Copper is now 4.50 a pound or .28 cents a ounce. Meaning one penny is worth 3 cents. It’s getting to be more and more closer to worth scrapping them. If you had a bunch of them say $100 In pennies it could pay for the gas and materials. Would be about 300 in copper. Also remember to weigh out the 1982 pennies because some are not copper. The copper ones weigh 3.1, zinc ones weigh 2.5. Canadian pennies copper up until 1996. If the price goes up further it could get even better. But it’s possible it could be better to not spend the money melting them and just waiting for them to legalize it to sell them as is. Like they did with silver coins. Who knows when

current copper price is #3.39 / pound. $54.24 less $10 for LP gas leaves you with $44.24. $44.24 less the $25.00 in pennies leave you with $19.24. $19.24 / $25.00 = 77% profit. Not bad - beats the stock market!

Nice work, Scott.

Thanks for time patience and days of looking for those pennies and the process

👍 I’ve been curious about this Penny melt process. My questions have been answered. Thank you. (SUBd)

That's why i build a wood and coal fire and I use a real efficient hand crank blower motor from an old coal forge. It takes a bit of work but I dont have to buy gas.

Thanks. I've been wondering about this very thing.

Oh how I love the sound of metals in the quench. Esp silver as that is my main pouring medium.

You should make a lift ring for your crucible. Lifting by the edge like that could be risky if it comes apart and all the molten contents spill out.

I get what you're saying to a point. But, do you know when the markets going to crash again. When all that money you invested into stocks disappears. The great thing about metals is they hold their value. The stock market has been around for not long at all. But metals have been traded since the dawn of time. Yes they might go up and down a little. But when the stock market crashes again, because it will, your metal is still worth something

Well I’m 72 years old and I never quit learn thank you for showing me something new

Smart conclusion sir. Subbed. 👍

Melting useless arcade game tokens is the option I choose is that when arcades no longer use tokens, they must melt down for real.

Amen!! Thank you for explaining this. These videos drive me crazy !! Especially the people who derive gold from computers. It takes so much time and money. And people forget to consider their personal time, there is a price to put on that also.

I always wanted to see this!

I think the future of copper looks brighter than gold

The fact of including your child in this is absolutely ridiculously important and fantastic! I applaud you and her I'm assuming! 👏 I love your work! Much respect 🙏!

👍🏻 nice job. The time you spent with your daughter ... priceless 😃

$75 with todays prices with $25 worth of pennies plus all your time involved. Very cool video and that looked very heavy so you must be strong and brave.

I really enjoyed this video!

Clarification. 1982 was the year the U.S. Mint removed Some of the copper and replaced it with zinc. Both Copper and Zinc we're pressed for that year. Have to weigh each penny that year to separate Zinc from Coppers. They sound different when dropped as well.

First, as he says, it is illegal to melt down pennies. Right now, copper is about $4.5/lb. You need 153 pennies to make a pound of copper (pennies are 95% copper). So there is a $3/lb spread. So it should be economical to melt them. But I would just save them as pennies, for now.

THANKS FOR THAT INFORMATION!

Often wondered about that. I’m much happier that you did it rather than me😁

If there were clean ,shiny and engraved ingots you can sell them for more (like 50$ per 2 pounds ingot ) as they could be nice on a desk . That is where the markup can be made .

Not to mention how long it takes to sort out the zinc coins. Great video....thanks☺

I'm glad you pulled out the wheat backs, I used to see them all the time 20 years ago with the occasional Indian head, now I haven't seen an Indian head in years and I hardly come across wheat backs in the wild anymore.

Thank you for your Honesty.

My Dad worked the Cash & Carry Counter at a Metals Supply in Atlanta, Georgia. Every few months a man in the same overalls stopped by and purchased about 6 rolls of coiled copper tubing. Once my Dad asked what he did with them. He said he chopped it up in various odd lengths and scattered about his Salvage Yard, making a handsome profit.

I agree that melting pennies to keep as bars for monetary gain is futile. If however you were to collect older pennies and then find the ones that were more desirable to collectors, you could sell one penny for a decent price. Less work, more profit.

You just proved what I've tried to tell others

Very Intresting video. More fascinating on the melting of copper than the value of it.

So in simple terms, leave the pennies as they are, unless you're intending to actually make something that has a useful utilitarian purpose. Good informational video.

Well done Scott. I am sure you are getting paid now. This was good, I wonder if it could be done with a good old style forge with wood or coal to be cheaper? Then it might make sense but it would be so labore intensive. I dont think it would be worth it even then.

very informative.

Interesting video.

I have to say that was pretty cool. My mother will tell you (with a chuckle) about the time I set the carpet on fire trying to make a zinc apple from pennies using the lost wax process. I'm lucky it was just 10 year old carpet that was damaged, that stuff retains a lot of heat. I don't think it'd ever be worth it to melt them down in a backyard set up. I'm not sure doesn't the government sometimes decree certain coins are "obsolete" and can take a trip to the foundry?

Zinc will harm you, so do be careful. As an artist I am always looking for copper to use for art, not profit. Coins were what I thought of, but the zinc factor has me spooked.

Good to have a helper.

Very good point.

I stack copper but I get it through scrapping I had heard years ago that there was a time when if you melted down a copper penny it would double it's value but I haven't done it and enjoyed watching and learning from it good job

I often wonder if the people melting these go through them first good vid!

This was quite informative. You did it so I would not have to. I’m trying to help your Al Gore rhythm.

right on man you just spared me from wasteing my time,or any more of it as i have seperated about 1000.00 dollars worth.

You say in the video that you're not allowed to sell those ingots as proscribed by law. Yet, carefully reading the regulation you kindly posted at the beginning of your video doesn't seem to say that. It appears to state that you can resell melted-down pennies and nickels IF they're being sold for artistic purposes (novelty or jewelry are mentioned) rather than the intrinsic value of the metal. Does that mean that if one polished the ingot and sold it as an art piece that it could be resold legally?

Should heat your molds before pouring and pour slower for a smoother more even bar. Lose less grinding that way too.

I learned something new from you. I didn't know that you can not sell it after you melt it down.

What a great video.

It's legal to do anything you want with your money as long as you're not attempting to alter the face value for profit.

READ the Law at the beginning of the video guys! I have no plans or intent to sell any of it. This is not against current US law as it is not being 1) sold or 2) sold for profit. It is for educational purposes only. All of the coins used here were 1982 and older AND all of the 1982's were weighed individually to ensure they were 3.11g and not the 2.50g zinc ones.

This was well done and i apprecaite the test you did. It makes sense to go ahead and sell the coins at a higher value. Let someone else do the melting.

People are commenting that copper price has risen. But so has gas prices. Gas prices for the propane has risen % wise more than the price of scrap copper.Its now even more not worth it.

1982 was a transition year when copper cents were made in the beginning of the year and then they changed and began making zinc cents. Anyone who is experienced with coins doesn't have to weigh them. They can tell if it's zinc by the look, feel and weight of them by eye and hand and give them the bounce test too. I've searched 100s of boxes of coins and found Indian head cents, wheaties, Canadian and foreign coins and I saved all copper cents dated up to 1982. I've sold $25 boxes of rolled copper cents to a scrap metal recycling center and more than doubled the money and got $54. I would never melt down and destroy coins. Btw, my recycling center would buy the copper ingots at the current scrap spot price. Why waste time melting coins when you can take boxes of copper coins to a recycling center and double your money. But not all buy coins so I'm lucky mine does. I don't have to advertise them either.

Why melt them? 3/4” copper pipe makes a great hiding tube without the expense of melting them.

Interesting - Thank you

👍thanks for the information

Instead of a gas forge, would a wood/coal based fire (with air blower) work to reach melting temp? ( I have no idea if a blacksmiths fire reaches melting temps, just seems like it would be cheaper).

"You made exactly nothing on this." Kind of like selling silver on eBay.

Very informative and interesting .................

Quick tip: I Cut a piece of cardboard and put it under the crucible before I start, the carbon prevents refractory/crucible from fusing onto the base of the silicon carbide crucibles.

Now I know why we are in coins shortage crisis.

17:07 “It’s not worth it.” (Green scale backlight goes out.)

Point taken but factor in future costs either up or down and it’s all a gamble ! I will be using the copper to make things such as plate and round bar for plant stands and slugs to stamp and resell for more then scrap price !

Thanks man!

Awesome video! Very informative. Do you have a video melting silver coins or is it not worth it as well?

So the way to come out on melting pennies for copper is to melt it in a wood fire that you were going to burn anyway. Just need a blower, and $2500 in copper pennies to make a grand. Of course you could use them to plate with as they are. Copper is worth a lot more when you plate it onto a bumper and chrome over it or whatever.

Thanks for sharing

Hang on to it man!

I literally see 20 plus pounds of scrap copper wire and tube go into the recycle dumpster on every house my brother builds. These get hauled off by whatever company is contracted to remove the waste from the jobsite and he has to pay for this waste to be removed. There are far easier and cheaper ways to get scrap copper and brass if you are so inclined.

Don't forget you have to pay for the furance, the crucible, all the tools, and the molds. All in all even with the current market it is still not worth it.

Nice job. If I had the stuff to do that I would cast a copper axhead

Sooner or later the US will realize, as Canada did some years ago, that minting pennies just isn't worth it. They eliminated pennies altogether and at first it was weird but now just the normal thing. How do they do it in real life? When you go to pay it is charged in full if you use a card, but if you pay in cash the total is rounded either up or down to make it come out even. I have started to think this may be the better plan.

That's pretty impressive analysis... Though I think you might stand to benefit from watching some serious metal melting/form pouring guys on RU-vid like TheGrowingStack and bigstackD... They have better tools if you're intending to do this more frequently. My advice is get a lifter that will apply force to the sides of your crucible for picking it up and place it into the center of a pouring tool with a full circle on the end that supports the whole thing. I think one of those guys has a video on making the tools for pouring molten metal. That said the yield you've gotten is quite respectable... that's got to be close to 99%.

Prices up to 4.46 by the way. Also seems like you might need a more effective way to do it

If you shoot, brass spitzer bullets are a thing if you can source some zinc. That seems allowed under the law. That way you’re not left with 16 lbs of paper-weights. You might even be allowed to sell them, as then the value is not based “solely” on the value of the metal in the coins.

Good to know!

Agree, not worth it. As some have commented, a copper cent is a pre determined, convenient copper content and value depending on the price of copper. There is no need to alter that in any way. Copper cents are really our last form of constitutional money around and I too have been keeping any I've received but they are becoming scarcer. It is fun to search coin rolls, it is worthwhile (and free) if anyone wants to build up a stash of copper. Copper cents could be a means of rounding prices if the situation arises where people only accept silver instead of worthless paper.

I believe that you are paying way too much for your propane. Preheat you ingots over a wood fire, then transfer to the propane furnace. Copper prices fluctuate greatly, so paying attention to copper prices daily and paying attention to different trends in order to predict upswings will help your returns. Unless you were really trying to convince people to not grab up pre-1982 pennies.

I do love the African Gray in the background, they're sweet birds.

I have probably close to a thousand copper pennies, and I was waiting for them to be worth more but, if I have to buy everything to melt them I don't think is really worth it, better invest in to something that will be worth over time. Thank you that was a good wake up call, on saving those copper pennies.

My question is how would anyone know where the copper came from ? Another unenforceable government law.

I have found the war time pennies from WWII work best. 1939 to 1946. I do pours for vets quite a bit.

are they going to do away with all cents? i sure hope so cuz ive ran out of place to put it all. when i buy things i often find myself saying "keep the change cuz ive ran out of room" i would keep them in my flashlights if only they could power them.

Thanks for the video as of 12/17/2021 that price for scrap copper is $3.31/LB

It’s all fun and games till you melt a collectible 1909 VDBS and realize it’s worth $1000

I believe But this isn't really considered illegal. I would never say anything but be careful you don't have Treasury knocking on your door for melting down coins that were perfectly good. I've heard stories about people mounting down coins I'm getting in serious trouble to saying. Thanks for the video very interesting. God-bless you

I just did my first Devil Forge melts this past Sunday. I'm glad my lid isn't the only one that looks like that...hahahahah. Man it was so much fun.

Good to know.